[intortus]

$15K/month of income only goes so far, that's the point of the article.

The math without a child isn't so bad. Take out $5K for taxes, $3K for rent, $3K for food/utilities/car/etc. If they're lucky to not have other non-discretionary expenses hanging over their heads and are frugal, then yeah, that's $4K/month leftover for spending, savings, etc.

How far does $4K/month go with a child? Well, first, the mom is very likely to face a disruption in income and/or income growth. Second, childcare will be necessary in order to continue bringing in dual income. That could easily run $2K/month. Third, they will have to either remain packed into an "affordable" 1BR apartment, or find more housing at some cost (either money or commute time). Fourth, for many people, the notion of starting a family is an expectation of multiple children.

People can and do make it work, but it's not easy, and at these tight margins any sort of disruption can spell disaster. That's why people who are doing ok without children can still feel like their financial position is too weak to support a family.

[paulpauper]

it probably much more than $15k given it was just a starting salary and probably other perks too. Also a lot of financial aid and other govt. programs for parents.

[intortus]

In my own case, having a single toddler is about a 20% increase in expenses, and that's not even accounting for saving for college, or how much it would cost if we wanted more space. It's easy to imagine being relatively comfortable in the Bay Area but not feeling financially comfortable about having kids.